Born and raised in Delhi, India, Geeta Bansal grew up in a household where formal entertaining with an international guest list was practically an everyday event.

Bansal, chef-owner of Clay Oven, Irvine, was a professor at Rutgers University as well as an urban planner, but gave it up to become a restaurateur and chef specializing in Indian cuisine.

She holds dear the childhood memories of hanging out in the kitchen with the cooks – sampling, smelling and making mental notes.

Last September she was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. A sumptuous multi-course contemporary Indian dinner was prepared. Dubbed “The Art of Spice,” her Beard menu included dishes such as foie gras samosas with cherry chutney, rabbit vindaloo with habanero curry, as well as Kashmiri lamb koftas with spicy tomato chutney. Rosewater panna cotta, too.

VIDEO: I asked her to teach me how to make one of her favorite simple Indian dishes, jeera aloo, a potato and tomato concoction clothed in an alluring mixture of dried spices.

Sharing a unique tip, she explained that most chefs don’t add water when heating a blend of spices.

It’s a dandy trick that helps to prevent burning the delicate mix. The dish can be served hot or cold, making it an appealing picnic dish for upcoming warm weather outings.

Bring along some chapati (unleavened flatbread) is you like, and some Indian pickle.

Great Outdoors: She enjoys cooking in her backyard kitchen, listening to her cockatiel Gabby sing and puttering in the garden.

Breakfast Fave: Oat bran with walnuts and Greek yogurt mixed with honey and orange juice. Green tea on the side.

A quick-to-prepare pasta dish is a delectable way to use up leftover cooked vegetables, such as broccoli florets, broccolini or green beans. Add them in Step #2 during the last minute or two of cooking the sausage.